The Kennesaw State Owls are set to square off with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks as part of this week’s conference championship slate. Fighting to win the Conference USA, both these teams will be looking to put a positive end to their season.
These two teams have faced off once already this season, with Jacksonville State pulling out a 35-26 victory on Nov. 15. Kennesaw State jumped out to an early lead, but Jacksonville State poured it on in the second half and extended the lead to as many as 19.
Looking at the odds for this matchup, Kennesaw State enters as a 2.5-point favorite and holds -135 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Jacksonville State holds +114 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at 60.5 points.
This article provides a preview of both teams and offers a pick for the Conference USA Championship.
Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State preview
Kennesaw State Owls
The Kennesaw State Owls enter with a 9-3 record on the season, which slots them at the top spot in the CUSA. They opened the season with losses to Wake Forest and Indiana, but won nine of their next 10, with the lone loss coming against Jacksonville State. Kennesaw State is 8-4 against the spread this season, and the over/under is 6-6 in their games played.
Jerry Mack’s squad is producing 29.1 points per game, which ranks 59th among D1 programs. They are generating 411.5 total yards of offense with a balanced offensive approach. Defensively, opponents are scoring 25.1 points per game against the Owls, which ranks 72nd in the country. Kennesaw State is allowing 411.3 total yards of offense, including 172.6 rushing yards per game, which could be especially problematic in this matchup.
Amari Odom stands in at quarterback and has completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,139 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions this season. He has also added 379 rushing yards and seven scores with his legs. Coleman Bennett and Chase Belcher lead the team in rushing production with over 1,000 yards combined and five touchdowns. Gabriel Benyard is posting a Conference USA-leading 877 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season, headlining Kennesaw State’s attack through the air. Christian Moss has added 602 receiving yards and two touchdowns of his own, while Clayton Coppock has five touchdowns along with 283 yards through the air.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks enter with an 8-4 record this season, including going 7-1 in conference play. They had some struggles out of the gates, dropping matchups to UCF, Georgia Southern, and Southern Miss over the first five games. The Gamecocks then finished the season by winning six of their last seven, including against this Kennesaw State squad. The Gamecocks are 6-6 against the spread this season, with the over cashing in 8 of their 12 games played.
Charles Kelly’s offense ranks 46th in the country in scoring at 30.2 points per game. They lean on a run-dominant attack that generates 428.6 average yards of offense, with 262 of these coming on the ground. Defensively, opponents are scoring 26.8 points per game against Jacksonville State, which ranks 80th among D1 programs. They are allowing 397.3 average yards of offense to opponents and have forced 19 turnovers on the season.
Cam Cook headlines the attack at the running back position, leading the FBS with 276 rush attempts and 1,581 rushing yards with 15 touchdowns so far this year. Caden Creel is not far behind him at the quarterback position with 973 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground to go along with 1,245 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, and three interceptions. The wide receiver production is led by Deondre Johnson, who has 564 receiving yards and six touchdowns on just 20 receptions this season. Brock Rechsteiner adds 356 receiving yards and four scores, while Pearson Baldwin is the only other pass catcher to record a touchdown, with two receiving scores and 292 yards through the air.
Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State pick, best bet
Jacksonville State produced a 35-26 victory just three weeks ago, and I foresee this matchup going the same way. Kennesaw State has been the more consistent team on the overall scale of the season, but this is a bad matchup for them. The 172.6 average rushing yards allowed is a major issue, and Jacksonville State can exploit this as well as any team in the country. The Gamecocks rushed for 252 yards against them in the previous matchup, with both Caden Creel and Cam Cook rushing for at least 127 yards.
Jacksonville State has the third-best rushing attack in the country with its 262 rushing yards per game. Kennesaw State ranks 102nd against the run overall. Not only does this present a clear pathway to offensive success, but it also allows Jacksonville State to control the pace and play its desired style of football. They are a higher-scoring team than you would expect with this type of identity, and they have really found their stride to close out this season.
The Gamecocks have covered the spread in four of their last six games and each of the last three meetings against Kennesaw State. They have won six of their last seven games outright as well as each of their last 11 home games against conference opponents. My lean is toward the over, but I expect Jacksonville State’s rushing production to be the story in this matchup and for them to have plenty of offensive success stemming from this. Count on them getting the outright victory and covering the 2.5-point spread for the second time against Kennesaw State this season.
